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House of El #3
House of El, Vol. 3: The Treacherous Hope
Welcome to a brand-new vision of one of comics’ most famous tragedies from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray and illustrator Eric Zawadzki. In this final book of a graphic novel trilogy, two teenagers on opposite sides of the same extinction-level event get drawn deeper into conspiracies that could doom them—if the planet doesn’t self-destruct first.
Sera is a young soldier, bred her entire life to fight for Krypton. She would die for this planet, but she’s never had the time or inclination to enjoy it. Zahn, however, is a young scientist, full of hope and ideas for how to improve Krypton for all its citizens. And yet, the cracks in his world are beginning to appear. In fact, both Sera and Zahn are unique in ways that will soon drive them from their destinies and toward each other—toward a cataclysmic ending to all that they once held true.
In this third and final book, there is no longer any doubt: Sera and Zahn have learned that Krypton’s destruction is assured. General Zod knows this as well, but he doesn’t have the specific information our two young heroes have: the end is imminent and there is no time to save themselves or anyone else. Well, not quite anyone. Jor-El and Lara have finished the space craft that will send their only son, Kal-El, off to another planet that will offer him the best possibility for a new life. But Zahn wonders if it wouldn’t be possible for Sera and him to join the infant on board. Just as they have come to openly express their love for each other, they, and everyone they know are seemingly doomed.
Meanwhile, Zod, still thinking he has time, has concocted an elaborate plot designed to make it apparent that he is the only one who can possibly save Krypton. He believes it will force the removal of the ruling Tribunals and allow Zod to take control of Krypton himself. Zod’s plot will cost the lives of many, and even though Sera knows everyone is doomed regardless, she can’t stand by and witness this senseless and needless loss of life.
In the end, Zod is betrayed and stands trial for treason. Sera, though now hated by Zod and his loyalists, stands ready to receive the same punishment herself—banishment to the Phantom Zone. And while this otherwise would be considered a horrible sentence, Zahn views it as a possible means to avoid the ending that faces everyone else on Krypton. But how will he be able to join his beloved in her fate and do it before their doomed planet explodes?
Sera is a young soldier, bred her entire life to fight for Krypton. She would die for this planet, but she’s never had the time or inclination to enjoy it. Zahn, however, is a young scientist, full of hope and ideas for how to improve Krypton for all its citizens. And yet, the cracks in his world are beginning to appear. In fact, both Sera and Zahn are unique in ways that will soon drive them from their destinies and toward each other—toward a cataclysmic ending to all that they once held true.
In this third and final book, there is no longer any doubt: Sera and Zahn have learned that Krypton’s destruction is assured. General Zod knows this as well, but he doesn’t have the specific information our two young heroes have: the end is imminent and there is no time to save themselves or anyone else. Well, not quite anyone. Jor-El and Lara have finished the space craft that will send their only son, Kal-El, off to another planet that will offer him the best possibility for a new life. But Zahn wonders if it wouldn’t be possible for Sera and him to join the infant on board. Just as they have come to openly express their love for each other, they, and everyone they know are seemingly doomed.
Meanwhile, Zod, still thinking he has time, has concocted an elaborate plot designed to make it apparent that he is the only one who can possibly save Krypton. He believes it will force the removal of the ruling Tribunals and allow Zod to take control of Krypton himself. Zod’s plot will cost the lives of many, and even though Sera knows everyone is doomed regardless, she can’t stand by and witness this senseless and needless loss of life.
In the end, Zod is betrayed and stands trial for treason. Sera, though now hated by Zod and his loyalists, stands ready to receive the same punishment herself—banishment to the Phantom Zone. And while this otherwise would be considered a horrible sentence, Zahn views it as a possible means to avoid the ending that faces everyone else on Krypton. But how will he be able to join his beloved in her fate and do it before their doomed planet explodes?
208 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2023
3 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Claudia Gray
82 books14.2k followersClaudia Gray is not my real name. I didn't choose a pseudonym because my real name is unpleasant (it isn't), because I'd always dreamed of calling myself this (I haven't) or even because I'm hiding from the remnants of that international diamond-smuggling cartel I smashed in 2003 (Interpol has taken care of them). In short, I took a pseudonym for no real reason whatsoever. Sometimes this is actually the best reason to do things.
I live in New Orleans. So far, in life, I've been a disc jockey, a lawyer, a journalist and an extremely bad waitress, just to name a few. I especially like to spend time traveling, hiking, reading and listening to music. More than anything else, I enjoy writing.
I live in New Orleans. So far, in life, I've been a disc jockey, a lawyer, a journalist and an extremely bad waitress, just to name a few. I especially like to spend time traveling, hiking, reading and listening to music. More than anything else, I enjoy writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 10, 2023
I’ve really enjoyed reliving the last days of Krypton through Sera and Zahn’s eyes, and the art was stunning. Highly recommended for fans of Superman lore.
May 5, 2023
3.5/5 stars
This is the conclusion to this trilogy of graphic novels.
The cover is stunning. And I loved the illustrations. But it did not feel like a complete ending to me. I still really enjoyed reading this series. But wish that there was more as it didn't seem finished.
This is the conclusion to this trilogy of graphic novels.
The cover is stunning. And I loved the illustrations. But it did not feel like a complete ending to me. I still really enjoyed reading this series. But wish that there was more as it didn't seem finished.
April 5, 2023
Sera and Zhan know the end is near. They want to find a way off Krypton, but don’t know what to do. When Jor El and his wife go into labor plans change. General Zod is trying to take over Krypton but doesn’t know how soon the deadline is for the end. Sera and Zahn have choices to make and duties to fulfill. I have truly enjoyed this comic. It was a new take in the last few days of Krypton. I enjoyed getting to know these other khryptonians and seeing the end of an era.
February 14, 2023
Honestly I enjoyed the whole thing. You know how it's going to end, so the authors have to rely on the emotion of it, and how will the characters handle it.
It was interesting to see Jor-El looking so young, and to see Krypton as such a classist nightmare society given how often it's portrayed differently. More utopian than not, with the advancements.
I also like that it didn't necessarily end with the explosion, and that the choices were interesting and the characters felt like they had some life and depth to them, and that they had some agency in spite of what was facing them. That's a tricky line to walk when you're writing and I can appreciate the nuance and skill it took to make the story entertaining while telling something that's been told.
It was interesting to see Jor-El looking so young, and to see Krypton as such a classist nightmare society given how often it's portrayed differently. More utopian than not, with the advancements.
I also like that it didn't necessarily end with the explosion, and that the choices were interesting and the characters felt like they had some life and depth to them, and that they had some agency in spite of what was facing them. That's a tricky line to walk when you're writing and I can appreciate the nuance and skill it took to make the story entertaining while telling something that's been told.
February 13, 2023
This has been the most satisfying conclusion. Not too cheesy, not too dour.
Just right.
Just right.
March 18, 2023
We all know how the story of Krypton ends but it was still a bit shocking when everyone dies in the explosion. Except baby Superman of course! I don't know enough about this mythos to know if Sera and Zahn pop up later or if they are just gone. I guess apocalyptic planet destruction always seems sudden and a lot is left unfinished. I had started to care for these characters so this little series did its job!
February 13, 2023
I have a mix feelings with the end. If anyone has read my other reviews then you will hopefully know that I do not like loose ends, open endings, and/or anything of that ilk. Yet, I knew something had to happen. While I was pretty sure Zahn and Sera were original characters, I had to double-check that maybe they were a canon and their story continues. After that quick search, it does appear they are original characters. This is disappointing, due to the end, but there was not much wiggle room for the end.
Verdict: I needed an epilogue to see if Zahn's prediction about him and Sera came true.
Verdict: I needed an epilogue to see if Zahn's prediction about him and Sera came true.
July 23, 2023
Even though I’m an avid Marvel reader , this was a surprisingly great series that stuck out amongst all the young DC origin books. This series is well illustrated and written to help any reader understand the origins of Krypton (and Superman) without having to do a deep dive within the DC archives.
August 7, 2025
good final volume to the Krypton trilogy of graphic novels written by one of my favorite authors.
December 28, 2022
**Spoiler alert**Sera and Zahn now know the truth: that Krypton will fall and everyone will die. They try desperately to find hope even though they know their planet is doomed. Jor-El and Lara's son Kal-El is born, and they send him to Earth in a prototype ship. Zahn contemplates getting Sera and joining the baby in the ship. General Zod completes his betrayal.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2024
The conclusion to Sera and Zahn's tragic love story.
Gray, ably supported by Zawadski's detailed artwork, has crafted a first rate addition to the stories of Krypton; weaving political intrigue, established facts, class struggle, and a contempory star-crossed lovers narrative embedded into a disatser movie!
As Sera and Zahn struggle with the knowledge of their planets impending doom, Gray paints an interesting dynamic between them as they balance their exisiting (though now perhaps redundant) responsibilities, how they really feel about each other and what to do with the dire information they possess. While also weaving in the exisiting origin story of Kal-El. With a final hail-mary play from the pair this comes to a satisfying end and becomes a solid addition to the Superman mythos. Hopefully we will one day return to these characters and see if their plan worked...
Gray, ably supported by Zawadski's detailed artwork, has crafted a first rate addition to the stories of Krypton; weaving political intrigue, established facts, class struggle, and a contempory star-crossed lovers narrative embedded into a disatser movie!
As Sera and Zahn struggle with the knowledge of their planets impending doom, Gray paints an interesting dynamic between them as they balance their exisiting (though now perhaps redundant) responsibilities, how they really feel about each other and what to do with the dire information they possess. While also weaving in the exisiting origin story of Kal-El. With a final hail-mary play from the pair this comes to a satisfying end and becomes a solid addition to the Superman mythos. Hopefully we will one day return to these characters and see if their plan worked...
June 1, 2023
Ends in probably the only way it possibly could have without feeling like a total betrayal of the source material. An open and inconclusive ending? Definitely. Satisfying? For me it was. Watching the last days of Krypton through entirely new eyes has been a satisfying experience overall. I got really attached to the main characters, and even though they were largely helpless, their helplessness made sense, and so did how they reacted to that helplessness. I would definitely recommend the entire trilogy.
May 28, 2023
Claudia Gray ends her YA retelling of Krypton's demise and it ends as expected. There wasn't enough new material to make this be memorable down the line. Too many smart characters did or said incredibly dumb things, Jor-El and Zod chief among them. The story was decent but everything was just too easy even the ending. The art was still rough and basic. Overall, an okay read that squandered an opportunity.
February 21, 2025
I mean, it couldn't have ended any other way, could it? Nicely done by Gray, with Zod's plot, Sera and Zahn's standing for right in the face of everything being meaningless, and the potential for their full lives somewhere down the road. The art remained very strong, and my previous Jor-El/Zahn lookalike-ness confusion is washed away by Jor-El's haggard five o'clock shadow and baggy eyes in this volume! LOL
March 3, 2023
I did like this ending, but was also a little disappointed. Going into the series you know, to a certain extent, the ending. Gray does a great job of changing it slightly. Its different enough to be a happy ending, but not too happy to seem unrealistic with the existing lore. I do wish it was a little less open ended though.
March 25, 2023
So much of this final volume was preordained that it was never going to have the surprise of the previous two. The somewhat surprising characterizations and the new characters that we saw in the first two volumes had to be rearranged into the places we knew they had to be at the destruction of Krypton. So, most of the book is just a fair read, but Gray absolutely nails the ending. Wow.
April 19, 2023
I had some lackluster feelings about this series, but I actually liked the ending though it's not what you would usually expect.
April 12, 2024
I didn't expect much from this but it was actually a good series! This had a Romeo and Juliet vibe to it which I usually don't go for but it worked, not too mushy LOL! The backdrop of the impending destruction of Krypton and the birth of Kal-El made the story interesting. Not to mention that Claudia Gray is one of my favorite authors so this was a win!
June 2, 2023
The plots of the last two books come to a head while Krypton marches to its impending doom. In the midst of this we see Superman's beginning. With some Romeo & Juliet type influences as well. Really well done for something I initially didn't think would be very interesting.
December 27, 2025
This was a great series. I wish they had used less language. The artistic style was unique and the story was well written. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and I love the possibilities for a future.
February 19, 2023
Finale to Claudia's trilogy two young kryptonians giving readers a different view of the final days of Krypton. I really enjoyed these characters and a different look at Kryptonian society.
March 31, 2023
decent
June 10, 2023
Mm, I mean. This was FINE. I liked the other two much better. I feel like this one was almost rushed? I didn’t love it. Sad it’s over! I enjoyed this series.
July 10, 2023
Didn’t quite feel like a complete story, but I understand why and kinda like the reason. Solid trilogy.
February 17, 2024
A military coup organised by one person - General Zod, with all the involved parties having their own view of the purpose and the outcome. The end. As well as the start. Enough said.
June 2, 2024
I really liked how this one wrapped up, I thought it was cleverly done
June 25, 2025
Perhaps the best of the three.
November 8, 2025
Still not feeling the romance, at least not enough for this to not drag a bit for me.
August 23, 2023
what an ending!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews